The No. 3 seed Philadelphia 76ers cruised to a win over the No. 6 Miami Heat, 130-103, on Saturday, April 14, in the opening day of the 2018 NBA Playoffs. Philadelphia successfully covered the seven-point spread, and the game went over the total of 212 points.
With the win, the young 76ers take a 1-0 series lead. Odds for Game 2 will soon be released by BetDSI Sportsbook. We anticipate Philadelphia will be a single-digit favorite.
The teams will compete in Game 2 in Philadelphia before the series moves to South Beach.
Heat Led Early
The Heat jumped out to an early lead and took command at the end of the first quarter, 35-29.
Miami led at the half, 60-56. Two power forwards paced the Heat. Kelly Olynyk poured in 14 points while James Johnson added 13 points and four assists.
76ers Charged Back
Philadelphia took command in the third quarter, in which the Sixers outscored Miami 34-18. Philly controlled the pace the entire fourth quarter, resulting in a comfortable win.
The 76ers’ prolific offense was in rare form. J.J. Redick led the 76ers with 28 points. Marco Belinelli, who had averaged 18.8 points over his last five games, scored 25. Ersan Ilyasova added 17 points and 14 rebounds. Bellinelli and Ilyasova were vital midseason additions for Philadelphia.
Olynyk, who signed with Miami last summer, led the Heat with 26 points.
The 76ers were forced to play without their best player, center Joel Embiid. Embiid is a first-team All-NBA candidate as well as Defensive Player of the Year candidate. He recently underwent surgery to repair a broken orbital bone.
Embiid will likely return to the court at some point in this series. He is hopeful that he will be able to return for Game 2. When he does make it back, Embiid will sport a protective facial mask.
The teams split the regular-season series, 2-2. The second game of the series is set for Tuesday at 8 p.m. EST.
